E.ON
“This has been a fantastic project for the business, achieving most importantly an understanding of what good leadership looks like and creating the kind of high performance culture we strive for. There is a clear understanding about how good leadership can drive high levels of motivation and great customer service.” Julie Harris Head of HR for E.ON UK’s Retail business.
The background
E.ON UK is a leading energy company in the UK. Now an established household name, it is the second largest electricity generator in the UK and owns the UK’s second largest distribution network.
The Retail arm of E.ON UK supplies electricity and gas to around 5.5 million customers, covering domestic, small business and industrial customers.
The challenge
E.ON UK Retail recognised the need to create more value for customers through significantly improving customer service, so that this would become a point of differentiation for customers compared to its competitors.
Customer Service representatives, led by Team Leaders and Section Managers are the first point of contact for E.ON UK Retail’s customers. The challenge was to assess the Team Leaders and Section Managers current skill sets and ensure that any gaps identified were addressed through appropriate training programmes.
The solution
Through dialogue with the E.ON UK project sponsor, a set of competencies and supporting behaviours was developed. This defined what effective leadership and management ‘looked like’ for the two roles, and would help the Team Leaders and Section Managers understand what the business now required of them.
It was decided to measure performance through observing individuals in simulated workplace scenarios. SHL People Solutions trained E.ON UK staff working in HR and Learning & Development to support the process as objective assessors in the simulation, so they could act as Co-Observers, recording detailed observations of performance against the behaviours being assessed.
To assess potential to develop further as an effective Team Leader or Section Manager, SHL People Solutions provided ability tests to measure intellectual capacity to perform at the level required. A managerial judgement test was provided to assess how individuals would choose to respond in a range of situations.
Some 409 Team Leaders and 90 Section Managers were assessed through 36 Assessment and Development Centres taking place at several UK locations within a three-week period, each supported by SHL People Solutions.
The results
Since the Assessment/Development Centres, E.ON UK Retail has experienced an increase in employee satisfaction with its leadership and further targeted support has been given to creating a high performance culture by developing skills in feedback and coaching for performance. A review and matching of management skills to the right team size and process area has improved the ability to resolve a customer’s issue on the first occasion and productivity improvements are evident
Julie Harris, Head of HR for E.ON UK’s Retail business, said: “This has been a fantastic project for the business, achieving most importantly an understanding of what good leadership looks like and creating the kind of high performance culture we strive for. There is a clear understanding about how good leadership can drive high levels of motivation and great customer service.”
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